17 Best Gifts for Physics Teachers in 2024

10 min read

Last updated: September 22nd, 2024

Physics teachers are tough to find gifts for. They tend to want things that are practical yet unique and a little nerdy. Being a physics fan myself, I wanted to assemble what I think are the best gift ideas for a physics teacher. This collection will show them that you understand their love of physics and support them in their passions.

This list is a compilation of my favorites from around the internet. Some are our own Genius Lab Gear inventions and some we’re just jealous we didn’t think of first! Some external links in this page are from affiliates, which means that any purchase of the items after clicking the link will result in a small monetary referral fee paid back to Genius Lab Gear at no cost to you. We appreciate your support which allows us to continue inventing and testing the best tools for scientists on the planet!

1. The Pocket Physicist wallet ruler and equation reference

The first words from your physics teacher's mouth will be "Where did you find this?!" They will never forget you or this unique gift. They will carry this credit card-sized physics pocket tool with them every day for a lifetime. We even laser-engraved the backside full of fundamental physics equations, physical constants, and unit conversions. See the product page for a full list of features we've packed in!

You can also add a custom logo to this for events, networking, or promotional giveaways! Custom orders start at 100 pieces - just email us for more info.

Available from our website or from Amazon.

The Pocket Physicist wallet ruler tool

The Pocket Physicist at Genius Lab Gear

The Pocket Physicist from Amazon

P.S. We also have versions specifically for Chemists and Engineers if those are a better fit for the person you have in mind!

2. Fun light & optics activities kit

Light technologies are going to be the backbone of our future civilization, so I think it's super important to understand the basics of how light works at an early age. It's not magic, after all, and luckily this kit made by Laser Classroom makes it simple and easy for physics teachers to cover key light and optics concepts for students around the ages of 12-16.

This heart of the kit are 3 LED sources in red, green, and blue. They can project squares of color to play with color-mixing theory, or they can project narrow rays of color to study reflection, refraction, and diffraction using the included lenses and mirrors. The 9 included lessons and worksheets should guide them through many hours of "wow" and "ohhhhh..." moments!

Tech Light Lab

3. 3D Crystal Ball with Solar System Model

It's time to treat the person who taught you with a one-of-a-kind present that avoids the traditional gift card. Now is not the time to overthink it; instead, get something simple, something that they are passionate about. Allow your favorite physics teacher to enjoy the wonders of our solar system daily with this 3D Solar System crystal ball! Keeping this on their desk will give them a constant 360-degree perspective of our universe.

Check the price on Amazon.

4. Physics Word Magnets for the fridge or office

Science-themed gifts are rarely as entertaining and enduring as our science-themed word magnet sets! We recently launched these to encourage creativity and self-expression in labs, classrooms and offices. Each specialty pack comes with 144 tiles carefully designed by a PhD in that field for technical accuracy and tacit absurdity.

The Physics Word Magnet set was designed with help from professional physicists and physics teachers, who chose words to make it both science-y and humorous. These are just plain fun!

Also now available on Amazon.

5. New 100% Cotton Lab Coats designed for Scientists

Most physics teachers own a lab coat. And most of them hate their lab coats. That's why we spent 3 years designing and modifying a lab coat that scientists love! Released in 2024, the Louis and Curie lab coats are consistently reviewed as "the best lab coat I've ever had".

For physics teachers specifically, the 100% cotton fabric is the best textile choice when dealing with heat, flames, and electricty in those demos to "wow" the students. The tapered knit cuffs also keep your sleeves from getting in the way of precision measurements. The two versions are tailored to fit male and female builds differently, with a wide size range and adjustable belt so physics educators can finally feel great in their lab coat at work.

This is one to clue them in about beforehand so you can get the sizing right! Or, you can grab a refundable $75 gift card to let them grab their own lab coat plus a pocket protector!

Louis and Curie lab coats

It's now also available on Amazon!

6. Elenco FM Radio Kit

Let your physics teacher relax, take a break from teaching, and take time for themselves to have fun building this FM Radio kit! This kit is a monophonic FM (frequency modulation) receiver that searches for FM stations using an electrical auto-scan. This scan mechanism utilizes two button switches: one scans up, while the other resets the tuning position to the beginning. It’s a fun DIY project that they could also share with their physics club students or build it with their family!

Check the price on Amazon.

7. Periodic Table of Elements Lanyard

Take your lanyard to the next level with this colorful and fun element theme! The lanyard's black background lets the periodic table of elements pop on each side. It's a little sciencey splash for your next conference or keeping your badge safe around the office.

Check the price on Amazon.

Periodic Table of Elements Lanyard

8. Starry Nights 2025 Astronomy Wall Calendar

Exceptional science has never been more inspiring—or more vital. Experience the awe-inspiring beauty of our night sky as seen through the lens of one of the world's premier night photographers. Each month of this 12-month calendar features stunning images of celestial objects like the Milky Way, planets, comets, northern lights, and Magellanic Clouds. It provides the dates of major astronomical events, including moon phases, solar and lunar eclipses, meteor showers, and moon-planet conjunctions. Most of these otherworldly events can be seen by casual observers here on Earth. and technology to new findings in evolution, engineering, and the cosmos.

Check the price on Amazon.

9. Subatomic: An Atom Building Game

This game has "chemistry" in the title but subatomic particles are firmly in the realm of physicists and solid-state chemists (which is kind of physics, anyway).

This unique card game gives you the building blocks of atoms which you collect to create atoms of different elements. It even includes details like "up quarks", "down quarks" and photons.

A Physics Teacher would have a wonderful time playing this with their family or as an after-school activity for engaged students.

Check the price on Amazon.

10. Best books for a physics teacher to read for pleasure (not textbooks!)

Teachers spend a ton of time reading textbooks and science news articles. It’s important to occasionally break that cycle and dive into a book for pleasure. Below are a few of our favorite physics-related books that will be an enjoyable read for a physics teacher.

The Feynman Lectures on Physics, boxed set: The New Millennium Edition

Richard Feynman was an American theoretical physicist. For his work on the development of quantum field theory, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1965. He was also one of the most well-known and admired figures of the twentieth century, both in the field of physics and in the public sphere. He inspired people around the world with his passion, hard work, and just plain curiosity. What’s a better gift for a physics teacher than a book from the subject's greatest teacher?

Check the price on Amazon.

Great Physicists: The Life and Times of Leading Physicists from Galileo to Hawking

For a more deeply technical book that graduate physics students or professors would enjoy, this biographical montage of great physicists will make a unique coffee table book to pick up in small doses when they need a break from the grind of grading papers.

The Great Physicists book lets you flip through the major milestones that build the foundational physics we use today, while sprinkling in some behind-the-scenes anecdotes of how they happened. It pulls out the math, theory, and principles of each discovery as well as the humans behind them. Learning about your heroes in small doses is a great way to get inspired and convey that enthusiasm to the younger generation.

Check the price on Amazon.

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman

I recently read this enjoyable little book while on vacation in bits and pieces and one quote especially stuck with me: “The thing that's unusual about good scientists is that while they're doing whatever they're doing, they're not so sure of themselves as others usually are. They can live with steady doubt, and act on that, all the time knowing it's only maybe.”

The book is a collection of the most brilliant things that physicist Dr. Feynman wrote himself or said in interviews, and it really gets you thinking about many aspects of life. Internalizing the way he questions everything is the big takeaway that makes this book an essential read for any physics teacher or professor.

Check the price on Amazon.

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)

This is another amazing book written by the great Richard Feynman that will make the perfect gift for your physics teacher. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! is filled with funny, clever, and surprisingly inspiring stories about the late, great educator and science communicator. It is made up of a series of anecdotes and stories and spans Richard Feynman's life from his youth through the late 1970s.

Check the price on Amazon.

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

This book is perfect as a gift for your physics teacher that seems to always have all the answers. There’s always some question that we’ve been wondering about but are afraid to ask. What if I took a swim in a spent-nuclear-fuel pool? Could you build a jetpack using downward-firing machine guns? What if a Richter Scale 15 earthquake hit New York City? Are fire tornadoes possible? Randall Munroe's "What If?" book has the answer to these seemingly ludicrous questions and will have them laughing out loud as they explore it.

Check the price on Amazon.

11. Lab Coat Pocket Protector

Physics teachers have to be nimble - hopping between the white board, to doing lab demonstrations, to inking up homework assignments. There’s one STEM accessory designed to keep their tools organized and keep their shirts spotless.

The venerable Pocket Protector became a cultural icon in the 1960's and 1970's, but somewhere along the way the newer generation of STEM researchers forgot about them.Physics Teachers need these back in their labs to stay organized, stay efficient, protect their work clothes, and finish their experiments without being late to lunch. So we researched and tested every type ever made to methodically solve each problem and come up with this refreshed design.

Available in spruce green, sapphire blue, and faded pink - the top 3 colors voted on by our fans! You can even get it from our Amazon page if that's easier.

pocket protector gift for physics teachers and STEM professionals

Check the price on Amazon.

12. Levitating Air Bonsai Pot

Still not sure what physics gift to get for your teacher? This cool and unique levitating bonsai pot might be the one you’re looking for. Students might at first think it’s magic but the teacher can explain it’s just physics! The bonsai pot levitates by means of magnetics. Magnetic levitation (maglev) or magnetic suspension is a way of suspending an object using just magnetic fields as support. This would make great decor for a teacher’s table and as a demonstration to the class about the concept of maglev.

Check the price on Amazon.

13. Physics Necktie

This physics necktie is the ideal finishing touch for a work outfit, and it gives your favorite physicist the unique blend of physics and fashion that they've been dying for. This fun gift for physics lovers has physics equations and can be worn for nearly any occasion. Crafted in 100% microfiber, you can be certain that this physics necktie will impress no matter where they go.

Check the price on Amazon.

14. Musical Tesla Coil

Thanks to the legendary Nikola Tesla, you can now give the perfect gift to your physics teacher. Make your physics teacher geek out on science by gifting them their very own mini musical Tesla coil. This amazing gizmo is both a nerdy gadget and speaker. You’ll be surprised by how much noise it creates. It can be connected to a phone via Bluetooth while electric arcs fly around that you can safely touch with your fingers. It’s a perfect educational toy that can also be used during class as a physics demonstration.

Check the price on Amazon.

15. Rocketbook Matrix cloud-connected reusable paper notebook

This is my favorite clever invention. It was inevitable. Rocketbook finally solved the problem of merging your hand-written notes into your favorite digital services. You simply use their app to take a photo of your pages of notes and the QR code and marked symbols on each page trigger the app to send the digitized page to any of the 9 pre-set digital destinations you choose. This includes OneNote, Evernote, Google Drive, Dropbox and even specific emails. Want a shortcut to send notes via email straight to your colleague or boss? This is what you’re looking for.

The Rocketbook Matrix is my personal favorite because it's designed for more technical work. It's got 30 pages of graphing paper and one regular lined page for taking notes, plus a built-in ruler on the inside cover. Did I mention they are reusable? Use their "Pilot Frixion" pens and then wipe the page with a damp cloth after uploading your notes to use it all over again (and win one for the environment!).

Check the price on Amazon.

16. JSWT Earrings

The recently launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is dazzling astronomers with gorgeous images of the galaxy. The key to its sharpness is it's gold-plated hexagonal mirror array. These beautiful mini-versions of the mirror from Science Socks also make for dazzling earrings for any physicist.

17. Physics Gift Bundle

If you can't decide by now, just get them all! Seriously, we put together a Physics Gift Bundle just to make it easy for you. It includes the Pocket tool and Word Magnets from above, plus a fun Marie Curie sticker. You'll save over 20% by bundling them together, so consider this decision made!